Watch Tasmanian Devils in the Wild [Video]

Rodrigo Hamede, of the University of Tasmania, studies Tasmanian devils in the wild. He shot videos of some of the endangered carnivorous marsupials after he and his colleagues conducted a study of how much contact devils had with one another in Narawntapu National Park, on Tasmania's northern coast.

The research project had required outfitting the animals with radio collars. After the investigators obtained the necessary data, they had to recover the collars. So, the group set nonharmful traps and positioned video equipment to help capture approaching animals. To lure devils to the desired location—and position—the team hung a carcass on a tree—a placement that induced the animals to look upward, exposing their necks to the camera and revealing the presence or absence of a collar.

The four videos were shot in winter, when the animals reproduce; hence, some of the females who visited the site still were carrying their young in their pouches.

Read more about threats to Tasmanian devil populations in "The Devil's Disease," in the June 2011 issue of Scientific American.